오빠
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Korean
Etymology
Probably contracted from 오라비 (orabi, “brother of a female”) + 아 (-a, “hey”, vocative particle), compare 누나 (nuna, “elder sister of a male”). For more on the etymology, see 오라비 (orabi).
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key):
- Phonetic hangul:
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | oppa |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | o'ppa |
| McCune–Reischauer? | oppa |
| Yale Romanization? | o.ppa |
Noun
오빠 • (oppa)
- elder brother of a female
- (women's speech, in informal friendly settings) somewhat older male
Usage notes
This term is used as a de facto second-person pronoun by women to address both older brothers and unrelated men of somewhat older age. This is because Korean does not permit the use of true second-person pronouns towards a social superior. See 너#Usage notes for more.
Usage of this term is discouraged in North Korea due to the country's official ideology and this word is thought to represent South Korea's cultural influence.
Synonyms
| Historical and regional synonyms of 오빠 (oppa, “older brother of a female”) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| view map; edit data | |||
| Group | Region | Location | Words |
| Standardised forms | South Korean Standard Language | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (hon.), 오라비 (orabi) (also y.) | |
| North Korean Cultured Language | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (hon.), 오래비 (oraebi) (also y.) | ||
| Historical forms | Middle Korean | 오〮라비〮 (wólàpí) (also y.) | |
| Early Modern Seoul Korean | 오라비 (orabi) (also y.), 오래비 (oraebi) (also y.) | ||
| Central Korean | Gyeonggi | Modern colloquial Seoul | 오빠 (oppa) (other traditional Seoul forms are not used) |
| Traditional Seoul | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (hon.), 오라비 (orabi) (also y.), 오래비 (oraebi) (also y.) | ||
| Yeongdong | Samcheok | 오빠 (óppà), 오라버니 (órábèonì), 오라바이 (órábàì) | |
| Jeongseon | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni), 오라버이 (orabeoi) | ||
| North Chungcheong | Cheongju | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) | |
| Goesan | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Boeun | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버이 (orabeoi) | ||
| Okcheon | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Yeongdong | 오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| South Chungcheong | Cheonan | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | |
| Cheongyang | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Buyeo | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Seocheon | 오빠 (oppa) | ||
| Nonsan | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| South Hwanghae | Anak | 오빠 (oppa) | |
| North Hwanghae | Pongsan | 오라바이 (orabai) | |
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Daegu | 올배 (ólbè) |
| Mungyeong | '오빠 ( oppa) | ||
| Andong | 오라배 (órábè) | ||
| Pohang | '오'라바시 ( o rabasi) | ||
| South Gyeongsang | Busan | 오라배 (órábè), '오'라부이 ( o rabu'i) (hon.), 오래비 (órébì) (deprec.), '오'라바이 ( o rabai) (deprec.) | |
| Ulsan | 오라배 (órábè) | ||
| Geochang | 오라배 (órábè), 오라버니 (órábèunì), '오'라바이 ( o rabai) | ||
| Hamyang | '오'라바이 ( o rabai) | ||
| Jinju | '오'라배 ( o rabae) | ||
| Yangsan | 오래배 (órébè) | ||
| Goseong | '오'라배 ( o rabae) | ||
| Geoje | 오랍세 (órápsè) | ||
| Jeolla Korean | North Jeolla | Gunsan | 오라바니 (orabani) |
| Iksan | 오라바니 (orabani) | ||
| Wanju | 오랍씨 (orapssi), 오라바니 (orabani) (hon.) | ||
| Gimje | 오라바니 (orabani) | ||
| Jeongeup | 오래비 (oraebi) | ||
| Imsil | 오래비 (oraebi), 오라바이 (orabai) (hon.), 오라바니 (orabani) (hon.) | ||
| South Jeolla | Yeonggwang | 오빠 (oppa), 오랍씨 (orapssi) | |
| Jangseong | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Gokseong | 오빠 (oppa), 오라부니 (orabuni), 오라부지 (orabuji) | ||
| Sinan | 오랍씨 (orapssi), 오람 (oram) | ||
| Muan | 오빠 (oppa), 오라비 (orabi), 오라부 (orabu) (voc.), 오라부님 (orabunim) (voc.) | ||
| Naju | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Hwasun | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Suncheon | 오랍씨 (orapssi) | ||
| Gwangyang | 오랍씨 (orapssi), 오래비 (oraebi) | ||
| Yeongam | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Jindo | 오빠 (oppa), 오라부 (orabu), 오라부님 (orabunim), 오람씨 (oramssi) | ||
| Haenam | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Gangjin | 오라버니 (orabeoni) | ||
| Wando | 오랍씨 (orapssi), 오람 (oram) | ||
| Boseong | 오라부니 (orabuni) | ||
| Goheung | 오라비 (orabi) | ||
| Yeosu | 오랍쎄 (orapsse) | ||
| Pyongan Korean | South Pyongan | Ryonggang | 오래비 (oraebi) (if unmarried), 오라바니 (orabani) (if married), 오라반 (oraban) (if married) |
| Songchon | 오래비 (oraebi) | ||
| Mundok | 오래비 (oraebi), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (if brother is over 50 years old), 오라버님 (orabeonim) (if brother is over 50 years old) | ||
| North Pyongan | Ryongchon | 오래비 (oraebi) (children use personal names to address older brothers) | |
| Diaspora | Dandong | 오르바니 (oreubani) | |
| Hamgyong Korean | South Hamgyong | Tanchon | '오래비 ( oraebi) |
| Yukjin Korean | Diaspora | Hunchun | 오래비 (óràebì) (as children), 오라바니 (óràbànì) (as adults) |
| Jeju | Jeju City | 오라방 (orabang) (also y.), 오라바님 (orabanim), 오라뱀 (orabaem) | |
| Seogwipo | 오라방 (orabang) (also y.), 오라바님 (orabanim), 오라뱀 (orabaem) | ||
| hon.: honorific / deprec.: deprecatory / voc.: vocative also y.: refers to any brother of a female, regardless of relative age | |||
| This table is an amalgamation of surveys of speakers mostly born before 1950 and may not reflect the language of younger speakers, which has lexically converged towards the standard Seoul dialect in both North and South Koreas. | |||
Derived terms
(kinship terms)
(other)